


damned by a kiss

by BeStillMySlashyHeart



Category: The Heights (TV 2019)
Genre: M/M, POV Outsider
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:39:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25167841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeStillMySlashyHeart/pseuds/BeStillMySlashyHeart
Summary: Kam went out for ice cream with his family, sans Ash. It was supposed to be a quiet night. Peaceful. Calm.It was not supposed to end in his family watching a moment between Ash and Sully.
Relationships: Ash Jafir/Sully Tran
Comments: 4
Kudos: 31





	damned by a kiss

“We should have waited for Ash,” Fatema complained as they made their way back to the Towers. 

“He is spending time with Helena,” Uncle reminded her. A drop of ice cream fell off his spoon as he raised it to his lips. The sun had set but it was still hot out, the heat having driven them to get ice cream after dinner in the first place.

“That is going well, yes?” Auntie asked. “He has been spending a lot of time with her.”

Uncle smiled, clearly pleased. “Of course it is going well! She is a good match for him.” 

Kam stayed silent, intent on eating his cone before it melted all over his hand. 

“Wait,” Laila stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. “Isn’t that Ash there?” She pointed her spoon at the small parking lot. Kam looked over to see Ash’s car parked under one of the few streetlights, his hunched form just visible in the driver’s seat.

“I told you we should have waited!” Fatema cried. “Now he’s going to feel left out that we all have ice cream and he doesn’t.” Her pout was ruined by the large spoonful of ice cream she shoved in her mouth. 

Uncle looked over, a curious expression on his face. “I hope nothing went wrong.” He changed course and started towards Ash, the rest of the family trailing behind him.

Kam was about to call out to his brother once they were close enough to really see him but someone else got there first. Kam tensed as Sully appeared out of the shadows.

“Hey,” he greeted Ash. His voice was soft but the night was quiet enough that they could hear him clearly. “Bad night?”

Ash sniffed and shook his head. “Not at all.” He dug the palm of his hands into his eyes briefly before plastering a smile on his face. “You?”

“Ash,” Sully said. “Are you alright?”

The smile got wider. “I’m fine.” His phone chimed and he pulled it out of his pocket. He stared at it for a second, his shoulders slumping, before he shoved it back in his pocket.

“I thought you had a date with Helena tonight?” Sully prodded.

Uncle slowed to a stop and Kam had to step to the side to avoid running into him. When he didn’t move, Kam chanced a look at his face. It was indecipherable but Kam still felt the need to look away. 

They were on the edge of the lot now, Ash and Sully not halfway across, but the light didn’t quite reach them and the two men seemed entirely unaware of their presence.

“Ash,” Sully said, his voice both gentler and harder than it had been a moment before. Ash shook his head, his face turned up at the sky. 

Kam had missed something.

“What are you doing?” Sully asked.

“What I’m supposed to,” Ash replied. Fatema made a questioning noise but no one responded. Kam as waiting for his uncle to move or, at the very least, say something. But none of them moved and none of them spoke.

“And what do you want to do?”

Ash scoffed. “It doesn’t matter what I want.”

Kam frowned. “Of course it matters,” Sully chided.

“No,” Ash shook his head. “No, it doesn’t. This way everyone’s happy.”

“You’re not.”

“I’m fine,” Ash brushed him off. “Helena’s happy. Uncle approves.” He sniffed. “Kam approves.” Kam’s stomach clenched.

“You’re miserable, Ash,” Sully insisted. 

Ash rubbed his eyes again and let out a broken laugh that rocked Kam to the core. “So what? I’ll make it work. I can do this.”

“What is he talking about?” Laila hissed. Kam shushed her, unwilling to answer. Next to him, Uncle was still as a statue, his eyes fixed on Ash.

“You can’t keep doing this,” Sully said. “It’s not fair to you-”

“It doesn’t matter!” Ash cut him off.

Sully glared. “Or to Helena. You think she’d be happy knowing she was making you miserable?”

“She’s not!” Ash shouted. Instantly, he started to curl in on himself as if to hide from the echo that filled the air. “She’s not making me miserable,” he added quietly. 

Sully didn’t say anything.

“She’s not,” Ash insisted.

Sully pursed his lips and shrugged. “Okay.”

They stared at each other for a long moment before Ash started cursing lowly. “It doesn’t matter what I want,” he repeated. 

“What _do_ you want?” Sully asked. 

“You know,” Ash huffed.

“I really don’t.” He sounded oddly defensive. 

Kam took one look at his brother’s face and knew exactly what he was going to do. He’d seen that look before, always right before Ash did something he knew was stupid but he wanted to do anyway. It was his ‘damn the consequences’ face. “Uncle,” Kam grabbed at his uncle’s elbow and tried to get his attention, to turn him away from what was about to happen. But Uncle didn’t budge.

A few meters away, Ash took two large steps and cupped Sully’s face before kissing him on the mouth. Uncle’s hands clenched into fists at his side and Auntie and his cousins all gasped. Sully barely responded and after a few seconds, Ash pulled back.

“Don’t,” Sully said. “Don’t do that again.”

“Sully,” Ash’s voice was rough. 

“You don’t mean it,” Sully continued. “And even if you did, you won’t do anything about it.”

“I _can’t_ ,” Ash cried. His hands were still on Sully’s face.

“You won’t,” Sully corrected. He took a step back and let Ash’s hands fall. When Ash didn’t say anything else, he turned to go back inside and froze. Kam met his eyes across the way and saw the realization hit him. 

Ash saw it too and he started to turn around but Sully shot out a hand to stop him. Kam took the opportunity and shoved at his uncle as gently as he could until he was forced to take a step. The movement jolted them all into action and while Kam tried to get them to turn around, to not have this confrontation here and now, Uncle took a step forward. “Ash!” He yelled.

Kam watched as his brother froze, every muscle in his body instantly tensed. Ash looked at Sully, a question clear on his face, begging him to tell him he’d heard a different voice. But Sully couldn’t. The hand he’d shot out to hold Ash in place stayed on Ash’s body as he turned to face his family, the touch gentling until he was holding a hand on Ash’s shoulder in support.

Ash and Uncle stared at each other.

No one said a word.


End file.
